Without Tim Russ’ Commander Tuvok, there is no Star Trek: Voyager. The character was the cause of the show’s setting and is one of the most important supporting characters in the series starring Kate Mulgrew. Actor Russ had already been in multiple roles in the franchise before he became a regular with Tuvok.
Tim Russ has played multiple one-off roles in the franchise before playing Commander Tuvok in Voyager. However, he was reportedly almost cast in another important role in one of the franchise’s most successful shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation. While he did not get the part, Russ said he was glad he did not have to play that role.
Tim Russ auditioned for the role of LeVar Burton’s Geordie La Forge in Star Trek: TNG
Tim Russ played the role of Commander Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager and earned much recognition for that part. The character was a Vulcan spy aboard the Maquis ship and the retrieval mission is what sends the Voyager and Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Janeway to deep space, setting the storyline for the entire spinoff series.
Russ had previously played multiple roles in many Star Trek shows, including The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. He reportedly also had a small role in the film Star Trek: Generations. Russ had largely played supporting roles, from being a Klingon antagonist to a human mercenary. However, he was reportedly up for another important role in TNG.
Tim Russ revealed in an interview that he was first up for the role of Geordie La Forge in TNG but he eventually lost it to LeVar Burton. Talking about the audition process, he said to Trek Movie,
I went in to read for it once or twice, and I subsequently went in to read for the doctor’s role in Deep Space Nine and then eventually Voyager. At the time I wasn’t aware that LeVar Burton was also up for it. That might have been a straight offer [without audition]. He was the only well-known name from the States that was in that series, that is one of the reasons they brought him in.
Burton was known for his work as Kunta Kinte in the miniseries Roots and as the host of Reading Rainbows before he played Geordie La Forge, the chief engineer.
Tim Russ preferred the role of Commander Tuvok to Geordie La Forge for one reason
LeVar Burton was a huge fan of Gene Roddenberry and the Star Trek series even before he came on board TNG and went on to become a huge part of the franchise. He directed several episodes and reprised his role on many occasions. His role as the chief engineer of the ship was lauded by many.
While the character is objectively more popular than Tim Russ’ Commander Tuvok, the actor reportedly preferred his Voyager character over the lost opportunity, mostly because the engineer’s technobabble was a mouthful. He said,
I am actually glad I got the role as Tuvok over that one, because the role that I had was somewhat more organic and much easier in terms of dialogue. [laughs] I am glad I didn’t get stuck with all that engineering tech talk. I would not have been as impressed or enjoyed it as much. That kind of dialogue doesn’t do anything for me. So, I am glad it ended up the way it did.
The VISOR, which reportedly even annoyed LeVar Burton, definitely did not help things. Tuvok had his own importance in Voyager and was mainly the reason why the ship was sent to deep space in the first place. Russ reprised his role in Star Trek: Picard.
Star Trek: Voyager is available to stream on Paramount+.
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